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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26199949">Don't Rush</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_fish/pseuds/silver_fish'>silver_fish</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>comms [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Picnics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:15:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,069</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26199949</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_fish/pseuds/silver_fish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She sees and feels more than hears the hitch in Tsukushi’s breathing as their eyes meet. There is a moment, just one moment, where they are very close together, <em>so</em> close, and then—</p><p>Tsukushi pulls back, eyes blown wide.</p><p>Nanami can’t quite help it; she giggles.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Futaba Tsukushi/Hiromachi Nanami</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>comms [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2180832</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Don't Rush</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/GL_aDOS/gifts">GL_aDOS</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/laphicets">twitter</a> / <a href="https://kohakhearts.tumblr.com">tumblr</a></p><p>thanks so much again for commissioning me, tova! i really hope you like it &lt;3 and sorry again for the long wait. this was a lot of fun to write! these two are so sweet &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Spring is a season of change.</p><p>A new year of school, blossoming flowers, rain to wash away the past and a clear sky to invite you into the future. Nanami has spent most of her life seeking some sort of “new beginning,” an escape from the shadows of her parents’ odd legacies, their skills and intelligence and all the things people have always expected from her because of it.</p><p>Last spring, she found it.</p><p>Joining Morfonica symbolized something she had never had before, bonds she had only ever dreamed of forging with other people. And while they have come to know the truth about her and her family and what all those things mean, they will still call themselves her bandmates, her <em>friends</em>.</p><p>And then there’s Tsukushi.</p><p>Tsukushi, with her massive presence hiding shy smiles, those ones she reserves for only the best of moments. Tsukushi, who has all the drive to become as great as she has always wanted to be. Tsukushi, who sometimes comes on <em>too strong</em>, who never wavers, who has this wonderful ability to make people feel <em>loved</em> and <em>wanted</em> even when it is sometimes difficult for Nanami to understand how she possibly could be.</p><p>She has kindness in spades, though she would be embarrassed if anybody ever said so. To her, she is what she offers to other people—but to Nanami, she is really just Tsukushi.</p><p>Their relationship took some time to develop. At first, it was easy—as easy as being friends with anybody can be, anyway. Nanami will be the first to say she really didn’t have much experience with it, before meeting the others—but after some weeks, it began to feel as if merely talking to Tsukushi was enough to set her entire being on fire.</p><p>She went to Mashiro about it, unsure of what had changed. What was the word she had used then?</p><p><em>A crush</em>.</p><p>Right. She had wondered if Nanami was harbouring a crush on Tsukushi. This is another thing she had never really experienced before, but she came to associate the dropping of her stomach, the tingling of her fingers, that fierce and heavy pounding of her heart with the word <em>crush</em>. Crush. She had a crush on Tsukushi, and it meant she could barely keep herself on her own feet around the other girl.</p><p>Through the ups and downs of her first crush, she came to get to know Tsukushi. <em>Really</em> know her. Learned that she loves her mother’s cooking more than anything but <em>hates</em> spinach, that for all she can sometimes say it is exhausting, unrewarding work, she looks forward to coming home and playing with her sisters. Learned that, despite appearances, there are just some things she can’t bring herself to make the first move on.</p><p>Which turned out to be okay, because Nanami has finally learned that she can do those things herself, and it doesn’t mean others will look at her and think her weird. That, in fact, she can attract the attention of others and still be normal—because of course she has never been <em>ab</em>normal, not <em>really</em>…</p><p>Tsukushi must have learned things about her too, even without Nanami saying them in so many words. Learned, perhaps, that Nanami has not dreamed of talent, of excellence, of a brilliantly shining future—that, rather, she has simply dreamed of friends. Security. Enjoyment.</p><p>All the things she has <em>now</em>.</p><p>Spring is a season of change.</p><p>As it blooms around them again, Nanami mostly just finds herself grateful for all that <em>has</em> changed in the past year. For maybe the first time in her life, she isn’t yearning for something <em>different</em>.</p><p>It was just a few months ago that she finally worked up the courage to ask Tsukushi out, on Valentine’s Day. It is about as <em>normal</em> a confession as one can get, and yet it still feels the most extraordinary thing Nanami has ever done. With Mashiro’s help, they had made chocolates, and then wrapped them up neatly with a short note penned by her shaking hand. The next day, she gave them to Tsukushi:</p><p>“I like you, Tsu-chan.” Possibly the four most terrifying words she has ever uttered, and yet…</p><p>“Huh?” Tsukushi blinked, eyes falling briefly to Nanami’s outstretched hand before lifting to meet her gaze again. “What do you mean, Nanami-chan?”</p><p>“I like you,” she said again, voice rising an octave or two as her cheeks flushed red. “You don’t have to accept them—”</p><p>Maybe it was then that Tsukushi finally understood, or maybe she had understood the whole time—understood all those months ago when Nanami was first just learning what it meant to have a crush on someone, or maybe just from the moment she had pulled her aside at the end of the school day.</p><p>Either way, she smiled that shy smile, dropping her head to inspect her shoes, as if that could possibly be enough to hide her blush. Finally, finally she accepted the chocolates, holding them close to her heart.</p><p>“I like you too,” she said softly, and the rest is, as the saying goes, <em>history</em>.</p><p>It’s May now, the middle of spring. They’ve gone on dates—gotten soft serve and cake together, been to the arcade and the bowling alley and the mall, shared fries at the food court—but some things have taken more time. Nanami will probably never forget how red Tsukushi turned the first time they held hands, never mind how flustered she was when Nanami played with her hair for the first time not merely as a <em>friend</em> but as a <em>partner</em>.</p><p>Nanami doesn’t mind if things move slowly—is it slowly? All her experience is from movies and novels, which she supposes aren’t the <em>best</em> examples in the world—because, really, she just appreciates Tsukushi’s company.</p><p>Today, they’re going for a picnic. It’s been a plan in the works for a few weeks, now, while they tried to juggle their schoolwork with band practices and time at home with their families. It wouldn’t matter if it was two days or two months from when they planned it, though: Nanami will always be overjoyed even at the mere prospect of being in Tsukushi’s company.</p><p>Nanami is bringing dessert for them, so Tsukushi has promised lunch. It is nothing exceptional, simple sandwiches and small strawberry cakes, but it is more than enough.</p><p>The day itself is a beautiful one, reaching up into twenty-some degrees beneath an unblemished blue sky. It will rain tomorrow, but for now it would be impossible to worry about anything other than where the best place to lay a blanket out on the grass to spend the day would be.</p><p>This is not Nanami’s decision, though, so she has nothing to worry about at all. She finds Tsukushi under the looming sakura branches and cannot quite manage to contain her smile.</p><p>“Tsu-chan!”</p><p>Tsukushi’s head snaps up from where she has been looking down at her pre-prepared lunch. “N-Nanami-chan! I didn’t see you there. Come...come sit down! Isn’t it such a nice day?”</p><p>This only makes Nanami’s smile widen. Still, she says nothing about it—would never even think to poke fun at the dusting of pink across Tsukushi’s cheeks—as she lowers herself down on the blanket Tsukushi has set out for them. Beside her, Tsukushi offers out a small plate; Nanami gives her the container with the cakes in exchange for it.</p><p>“It is,” she finally agrees. “Everything looks so pretty.”</p><p>When she glances over, Tsukushi is still looking at her, but she averts her gaze just before their eyes can meet.</p><p>“Y-yeah, you’re right! I thought…I thought we could enjoy the view from here pretty well, so…”</p><p>Nanami turns away again to survey their surroundings. It’s true that, though they have found a shaded area beneath a grandly blossoming tree, they still have a near perfect view of everything around them. Children run across fresh green grass, their parents trailing more slowly behind them, while others have brought their dogs out to walk along the winding park trails. One thing they all have in common, though, is their smiles, the obvious happiness brought to them by the late springtime sun.</p><p>“It’s wonderful,” Nanami tells Tsukushi, whose flush only deepens.</p><p>“Not as wonderful as lunch, though,” she says quickly. “These cakes look amazing! Did you make them?”</p><p>Nanami giggles. “No, we just bought them, but I think they’ll be tasty. There’s this bakery my parents really like...it’s a little strange, but they have some really good sweets. I think you’d like it.”</p><p>Tsukushi’s eyes shine at this, and Nanami doesn’t let herself stop to think that it could be anything other than excitement at the prospect of good-tasting desserts. A year ago, Nanami never would have brought such a thing up in the first place; now, though, she knows it doesn’t matter if it’s something she learned about from her parents, if it’s “a little strange”—Tsukushi won’t care about that, so Nanami won’t let herself care about it either.</p><p>As it turns out, lunch <em>is</em> very good. They chat amiably between bites of admittedly quite delicious sandwiches before Nanami takes the dessert container and begins topping the cakes with the strawberries and cream she’s brought along.</p><p>Tsukushi beams as she passes one over. “Thanks, Nanami-chan! Ohh, this looks so good… We should do this more often, don’t you think?”</p><p>Nanami’s lips pull up. “Well, we can have cake any time you want it.”</p><p>Fork halfway up to her mouth, Tsukushi pauses, her cheeks flushing red. “I— Well, it’s not <em>all</em> about the cake, you know.”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>Face only reddening further, Tsukushi turns away and takes up the large piece of cake she speared through her fork before.</p><p>“I think we should too,” Nanami continues. “It’s so peaceful. Spring is such a pretty season.”</p><p>Nanami hears Tsukushi swallow. “Y-yeah, it is, isn’t it?”</p><p>Nanami glances over at her. There is a soft, tender feeling in her chest, the sort she only gets around Tsukushi, like right here, right now, everything is <em>infinite</em>. They have so much time here, minutes turned to wonderful and countless hours just by Tsukushi’s presence. Sometimes, things <em>do</em> move too quickly—it is, in a way, the very nature of spring. Seasons change, as do people, as do circumstances, but the people she <em>loves</em>…well, those are eternal. Even if they were a million miles apart, Tsukushi would never feel very far away from her.</p><p>She inhales, feeling the spring breeze wrap kindly all around her, and then sets her dish down and leans forward to put a gentle hand against Tsukushi’s cheek, guiding her gaze back over to her own.</p><p>She sees and feels more than hears the hitch in Tsukushi’s breathing as their eyes meet. There is a moment, just one moment, where they are very close together, <em>so</em> close, and then—</p><p>Tsukushi pulls back, eyes blown wide.</p><p>Nanami can’t quite help it; she giggles.</p><p>“W-what?” Tsukushi demands. “Is there something on my face?”</p><p>“No, that’s not it.” Her laughter softens into a smile. “I was just thinking, you’re so wonderful, Tsu-chan. I wouldn’t want you any other way.”</p><p>With that, she turns her attention back to her dessert. If Tsukushi is flustered, mouth agape, beside her, she doesn’t take the time to really notice it. Eventually, Tsukushi lets out a small sigh and takes up her own plate again.</p><p>“You’re pretty wonderful too,” she mutters, somehow sullen.</p><p>Nanami takes a bite of the cake, savouring its sweetness, and hums in acknowledgement. A beat passes, and Tsukushi shifts a little closer to her, quietly focussed on the last of her food.</p><p>When they’re both finished, Tsukushi does the cleaning up. She is efficient at it, perhaps thanks to her family structure. Nanami would offer to help, but there’s a sort of joy Tsukushi gets out of taking care of others that she would never wish to rob her of. Besides, it’s kind of nice to just sit and watch. Tsukushi in herself seems to embody the very nature of spring, all its glorious and sunny beauty. She probably doesn’t even realize it—doesn’t think she could reflect the season herself any more than her yellow dress does—but Nanami sees it in the shine in her irises, the pull of her lips, like she cannot help being happy so long as she is here beneath the sun with Nanami.</p><p>Once their lunch is cleared up, Tsukushi leans back, tilting her head towards the sun.</p><p>“Thanks,” she suddenly says.</p><p>Nanami blinks, turning to look at her. “What for?”</p><p>Tsukushi drops her gaze down to hers and smiles, but it isn’t quite enough to hide the dusting of pink across her cheeks. “Well, it’s just…I know that— This has all been pretty, um, slow…hasn’t it? But you never complain or…or anything, and I know you’re not laughing <em>at </em>me, so…thanks, that’s all!”</p><p>Nanami shakes her head. “You don’t need to thank me for that, Tsu-chan. We don’t need to rush. I’m just happy to be with you.”</p><p>If anything, this only seems to make her blush more fiercely. “R-right, but, well, that doesn’t mean it’s not <em>slow</em>…”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Nanami insists. “Really. I’ll wait for you. As long as you need me to.”</p><p>Tsukushi bites her lip, glancing down at her feet. “I…I know.”</p><p>And Nanami thinks she really does.</p><p>“But,” she continues, “I don’t think you should have to wait that…that long.”</p><p>“Spending time with you matters the most.”</p><p>Though she can only see the side of Tsukushi’s face—and this, too, is mostly covered by her hair—she doesn’t miss her smile.</p><p>“Thanks for coming today,” she says. “I’m really glad we did.”</p><p>“Me too.” Nanami turns forward again, watching the other people in the park as they wander around, children running between their parents’ legs and crying out in joy as their friends race to catch up to them. It is something Nanami never had as a child; normally, she might be envious, but right now…</p><p>Tsukushi sighs. “I guess we should get going. I didn’t realize how late it was getting.”</p><p>Nanami pulls out her phone to check the time, then nods in agreement and gets to her feet. She reaches down a hand for Tsukushi, who takes it without hesitation.</p><p>She stands back as Tsukushi grabs the blanket by its corner and folds it up, then picks up the bag she brought for their sandwiches. Wordlessly, she hands Nanami’s over, and then they set off through the winding park trails.</p><p>“I’ve always liked this time of year,” Tsukushi says after a while. They have come out to the sidewalk, leaving the canopy of trees behind them for now.</p><p>Nanami hums. “Me too. It’s nice.”</p><p>“A season of change.”</p><p>New beginnings, something <em>different</em>. The start of life’s next exhilarating chapter.</p><p>They walk back to Tsukushi’s house, which is quite a lot closer to today’s destination than Nanami’s is. Inside, her mother is probably cooking dinner, while her siblings play some silly new game, just waiting for Tsukushi to arrive so they can teach it to her. Nanami has met them all only on a handful of occasions, but she thinks the Futabas are great fun. She wonders if, someday, Tsukushi’s siblings will teach her their silly new games too.</p><p>Coming to a stop just before the door, Tsukushi turns and gives Nanami a small smile. “This was really nice. Thanks for agreeing to this, Nanami-chan. Maybe we can do it again soon?”</p><p>Nanami nods. “Every day, if you want.”</p><p>She laughs. “Well, maybe not <em>that</em> soon. We do have band practice tomorrow, you know!”</p><p>Yes, Nanami does know. She looks forward to band practices too—and not <em>just</em> because Tsukushi is there, though that is certainly a factor. This past year has given her the greatest gift of all…and while Tsukushi is only a fourth of it, Nanami knows—has always known—that she is special. Not special the way she herself was always “meant” to be, but special to her, the one closest to her heart.</p><p>“Maybe the next day, then,” she suggests.</p><p>Tsukushi’s eyes are bright, kind and amused. “Maybe. But only if you bring more of those strawberry cakes! I could eat those for the rest of my life, I think.”</p><p>Nanami chuckles. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of anything else.”</p><p>A beat passes, and then Tsukushi’s smile drops, just a bit. “Well…I’d better get inside. I’ll see you tomorrow, Nanami-chan.”</p><p>She turns, places a hand on the doorknob. Even at her back, Nanami can see the conflict rippling through her, and then—</p><p>She whirls around again, leans forward, and presses her lips against Nanami’s.</p><p>It seems to surprise her as much as it surprises Nanami, but before she can pull away, Nanami grabs her wrist and pulls her closer, lips pulling up slightly against Tsukushi’s. She doesn’t really know what she’s doing, but Tsukushi’s mouth is soft, warm, lips that seem to mould perfectly with her own, and she cannot get enough of it.</p><p>Eventually, though, they do part, but they stay close enough that their foreheads nearly touch.</p><p>“Didn’t I tell you there was no need to rush?” Nanami asks quietly.</p><p>Tsukushi flushes. “I— Well, I didn’t really <em>agree</em>, you know.”</p><p>That’s true enough, Nanami supposes.</p><p>“And…I wanted to,” Tsukushi rushes on. “Ever since—you know, we almost—before, and I thought…well, I just—I wanted it. That’s all.”</p><p>Nanami drops her hold on Tsukushi’s wrist, bringing her hand up to instead brush against her cheek. “I’m really happy you did.”</p><p>Tsukushi’s rosy cheeks lighten slightly. She beams. “Thank you, Nanami-chan.” She leans forward, giving a quick peck, and then steps back. Nanami’s hand falls back down to her side as Tsukushi makes for the door again, this time getting it open and stepped inside. She glances back, waving, and Nanami waves back, and then the door is closing, leaving Nanami alone.</p><p>She doesn’t feel alone, though; the sensation of Tsukushi’s lips against hers is still there, a pleasant tingling.</p><p>She turns to go, unable to keep the smile off her face. It does not drop the entire way home, as warm as the May sun.</p><p>Spring is a season of change.</p><p>This year, Nanami is looking forward to those changes more than she ever has before.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>comments and kudos are always appreciated! xx</p><p>(p.s. catch me on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/laphicets">@laphicets</a> or tumblr <a href="https://kohakhearts.tumblr.com">@kohakhearts</a> for writing updates. i also sometimes take writing requests on both!)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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